The disclosed subject matter relates generally to three-dimensional microfluidic devices.
In recent years, microfluidic systems have attracted increasing interests due to their diverse and widespread potential applications. For example, using very small volumes of samples, microfluidic systems could carry out complicated biochemical reactions to acquire important chemical and biological information. Among other advantages, microfluidic systems reduce the required amount of samples and reagents, shorten the response time of reactions, and decrease the amount of biohazard waste for disposal.
First developed in the early 1990s, microfluidic devices were initially fabricated in silicon and glass using photolithography and etching techniques adapted from the microelectronics industry. Current microfluidic devices are constructed from plastic, silicone or other polymeric materials, e.g. polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Such devices are generally expensive, inflexible, and difficult to construct.
Lateral-flow fluidic devices are two dimensional (2-D) and are used for applications where fluids need to be transported in a single plane, in series or in parallel. However, fluids in adjacent channels in a 2-D device cannot cross one another without intersecting. This topological constraint ultimately limits the design and applications of 2-D fluidic devices. Thus, there remains a need for three dimensional microfluidic devices that are inexpensive, flexible, and easy to construct.